Prayer Is More Than a Transition Piece

Prayer Is More Than a Transition Piece

It has been a season of change in our household. Lately, we’ve gone through the home-buying process, planted new ministry works, and other huge updates. During all of life’s craziness, God has been growing me in my prayers.

My heart behind this article is to be transparent about how I view prayer. It’s not that I’ve been around people who don’t pray well, but I feel this is a discussion worth tapping into… I find it beneficial to keep writing each week here on paytej.com to share what I’m going through. Hopefully this encourages you in Christ.

Now, from what I gather, most Christians are pretty good about praying each day. And it’s especially not hard to remember prayer on the weekends during church services. Though we remember to do it, I feel we only scratch the surface of prayer.

What prayer typically amounts to is the Christian way to transition into something else.

It’s what we do in between the introduction and the sermon. And it’s what we do before meals. But it’s rarely seen as its own important element with the other Christian practices (preaching, communion, baptism, etc.). It’s good for us to remember the importance of prayer and the impact it makes!

Prayer is vitally important to the Christian faith. It was Martin Luther that famously stated, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”

The primary purpose of prayer is NOT to provide a spiritual transition into something else (even though it serves this purpose well). Prayer, itself, is a fundamental practice for every follower of Christ.

Prayer is so underrated.

Too often it gets pushed to the side and neglected. Here’s what needs to happen—we need to dust real prayer off the shelf and get to interceding. It’s our duty to be prayerful people. It’s who we are. It’s what we do.

Let me ask you this: when you travel to church or Bible study, would prayer alone be enough of a reason to attend? For instance, if no other activities or practices were going on during your meeting with other believers, would prayer alone be worth the drive?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying prayer is the only required element to constitute a worship service. Try to hear my heart in this. I’m simply trying to emphasize prayer as one of the important elements.

If the only thing we were going to do is pray during our meeting together, what would you say? Would that be a waste of time? It shouldn’t be!

We should be content with an event similar to Acts 1:14, where they gathered in the upper room simply to pray together.

We have access to the God of the universe.

The truth is, when we pray we get to access the God of the universe. We aren’t talking to ourselves. We’re not just speaking to one another. We’re not talking into thin air. We are talking with God. This should blow our minds. Who are we to get this kind of access?

How much time do you devote to prayer? Are you spending time with God in prayer each day? Do you really pray regularly? Or is prayer a mere transition piece in your meetings with other Christians?

Prayer can become an important part of your life. I want to encourage you in this!

I admit, I have been guilty of having a low view of prayer. Thankfully, God has been growing me in my prayers. I have grown to not view prayer as a mere transition piece. Without healthy prayer, it’s like holding our breath! It’s good to get some fresh air.

These thoughts about prayer have been on my mind the last few weeks. I’m certainly at fault for viewing prayer as a mere transition piece at times instead of a full spiritual practice to participate in. May we tap into the potential of powerful prayer and connect with the God of the universe.

21 thoughts on “Prayer Is More Than a Transition Piece”

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Good stuff. Prayer is so incredibly important and such a privilege. I have been blessed with some prayer partners willing to meet early in the morning for the purpose of interceding in prayer for our families, churches, and our nation.

I’m definitely guilty of minimizing prayer. And, this happens when I don’t grasp the truth of what prayer is. Isn’t it basically a lack of faith? Do I really believe that God hears? Do I really believe that there are powers and principalities beyond what I can see? Do I believe what the words of scripture say about prayer? The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James 5:16

Yes!! To me Prayer is a foundational element of our relationship with God. Prayer is our communication with Him…AND His communication with us. Sometimes in prayer we forget to listen and give HIM time to speak to us!

What kind of relationship would we have with our spouses or friends if we never talked to them….or talked to them but never gave them a chance to talk to us.

Prayer…ongoing communication with our Father!! What a glorious experience!!